Avatar Legends fighting game delays Xbox to Sept 3, Switch ships without crossplay
Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game launched on PlayStation 5, PC and Nintendo Switch on July 23 as planned, but the Xbox Series X|S edition has been pushed back to September 3 and the Switch version has arrived missing crossplay, extra languages and its Deluxe Edition — all confirmed just hours before release. Developer Gameplay Group International and publisher PM Studios announced both changes in a statement posted to the game’s official social channels, catching pre-order customers off guard on the eve of launch.
Xbox pushed back 42 days over a “backend feature”
The Xbox Series X/S version of Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game has been delayed, just hours before it was set to release, with the game, published by PM Studios and the recently formed Paramount Games and developed by Gameplay Group International, having been set to launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. An announcement posted on the game’s official X account just 13 hours before the planned release time stated that the Xbox version had been delayed by a month and a half.
In the studio’s own words, quoted directly from the announcement: “For the Xbox community, we are forced to delay the release. Due to unforeseen circumstances on a backend feature, we will now launch by September 3,” the statement reads. The developer offered no further technical detail, and outlets covering the story noted that what that backend feature might be is anyone’s guess, with the usual suspect of Series S performance issues seeming unlikely given the game is also releasing on Nintendo Switch.
Anyone worried about losing money on an early purchase can relax. Those who have already pre-ordered the Xbox version will not need to take any action, as all existing pre-orders will remain active and will not be canceled.
Switch players get Standard Edition only, no crossplay, English only
The same statement delivered a second piece of unwelcome news for Nintendo Switch owners. The Nintendo Switch version will not support crossplay at launch, nor will it have a Deluxe Edition, with both features arriving at a later time, and the Switch version also limited to English for the time being.
The developers were explicit about the scope of the restriction. For Nintendo Switch players, the Nintendo Switch version will be available as the Standard Edition only, with crossplay with other platforms and language localization beyond English not available, though the team said it is committed to bringing these features, along with upgrading to Deluxe Edition, to players as soon as possible.
Notably, the limitations appear tied specifically to the original Switch build. Only the English language localization is going to be in the game, and this does not seem to apply to the Nintendo Switch 2 version, which is due to arrive separately later this year.
A single root cause behind two separate problems?
Some outlets have floated the theory that the Xbox delay and the Switch crossplay gap are connected rather than coincidental. The same announcement revealed that the original Nintendo Switch version, while still launching on schedule, will be missing cross-platform play and several other features at launch — a limitation that, taken together with the Xbox delay, points to a shared problem in the game’s cross-platform networking backend.
That matters because crossplay was a headline pillar of the game’s pitch. Gameplay Group International’s fighter was built around hand-drawn 2D animation, twelve characters at launch with five more in its first year, proprietary rollback netcode, and full cross-play across multiple platforms. Losing that unified matchmaking pool on one platform, even temporarily, cuts against the game’s original selling point.
What Switch owners are actually missing out on
Beyond the headline crossplay omission, the practical impact for Switch players is a smaller online pool from day one. As one outlet put it, the lack of crossplay may well sting for Switch players who planned to play online, lowering the pool of potential opponents significantly. It’s a risk that could ease once player counts settle, but one that will need addressing before matchmaking queues thin out.
The Deluxe Edition absence is also worth flagging for anyone eyeing extra content. The Deluxe Edition, which includes a Year 1 pass, a digital soundtrack and a digital artbook, won’t initially be available on Switch when it eventually releases on that platform, and it won’t support crossplay or any languages other than English at first. Whether that also delays access to the game’s first paid DLC fighter later this year remains unconfirmed.
For context, the wider launch had already slipped once before this latest shake-up. The developers had previously pushed the release date back from July 2 because they wanted “to cook up an exceptional Avatar adventure, including new content previously unplanned.” Gameplay Group has not said whether the Xbox and Switch issues are linked to that earlier delay, but the timing — landing hours before a long-anticipated launch — has drawn criticism from fans who feel blindsided twice over.
Read also: Switch Sports Resort: Hands-On Previews Confirm 12-Sport Wuhu Island Return on Oct 22
PS5, PC and standard Switch versions of Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game are available now, priced at $30 in the US. Australian and New Zealand players picking it up on Steam or PS5 today are unaffected by the Xbox delay, though local Switch owners will be in the same boat as everyone else waiting on crossplay and a Deluxe upgrade.
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Article By News Desk
